Free Meetings

Meetings are free and open to anyone! We hold meetings in St. Mary’s, Charles, Calvert, and Anne Arundel Counties. Check the calendar below or our “Events” page on Facebook for dates and times.

In a meeting, we typically start by chatting while people arrive. Those who have borrowed carriers at a previous meeting return them. After about 15 minutes for carrier returns and late arrivals, we begin with introductions. Then, the babywearing educators do a demo based on requests from the crowd. This might be a simple overview of types of carriers or demo of specific carries depending on what everyone wants to see. From there, we break into smaller groups and chat, try new carriers, and work on anything the crowd is interested in. For the last 15 minutes, we take some time to check out carriers and start cleaning up the library room. Meetings are free and ALL are welcome to attend (dads, partners, grandparents, nannies, expecting parents, etc) and older siblings are welcome as well.

Q: Are older children welcome at meetings?
A: Absolutely! Most of the leaders have older children and bring them! We ask that you both keep an eye on your children around smaller babies and help us and excuse us when we need to keep an eye on ours as well!

Q: Do men usually attend?
A: Nearly every meeting has a few couples who attend together. Babywearing dads, grandmas, uncles, aunts, friends, caregivers, etc are all welcome!

Q: I am still pregnant. Can I come?
A: Yes! We have demo dolls you can practice with, and lots of different carries so you can try them on and decide what you may want to add to a baby registry. If you already have a carrier, bring it and we can show you how to use it!

Q: Can I borrow a carrier?
A: Definitely! To borrow a carrier, you have to become a member of Babywearing International. Membership is $30 per year. This fee allows you to check out one carrier per month for an entire year. We have a pretty great lending library which includes all of the major carrier types and some special seasonal items like water slings/wraps or winter babywearing jackets. The $30 fee gives our group some money to put toward purchasing more carriers for the lending library.

Q: What do you do at a typical meeting?
A: For the first 15 minutes, we usually sit and chat while we wait for everyone to arrive. People who borrowed carriers the previous month return them at this time. After that, we go around and do introductions. Then the leaders do a quick demo on anything the crowd requested. After that we break into stations for practicing specific carriers and have time for one on one help with a volunteer babywearing educator. There are lots of meeting photos on our Facebook page that will give you a general idea of what to expect!

Q: Do you have any fun social events?
A: We do! We try to do something once per quarter. In the past, we’ve had babywearing ballerinas, babywearing zumba, babywearing beach days, and hikes. Follow us on Facebook to stay updated.

Q: What if I can’t make it to a meeting? Can I still have some help with my carrier?
A: Definitely! You can contact us via email at bwisouthernmaryland@gmail.com or by sending us a message on facebook (https://www.facebook.com/babywearingsomd). We also have a “closed” chatter group on facebook. The privacy of this group is set to “closed” which means that other people will be able to see that you are a member of the group, but they cannot see your posts unless they are also in the group. Click “join” group and we’ll add you within 24 hours (and usually much faster than that). This is a great way to get to know other parents/caregivers in the area and also a wonderful way to get answers to questions you may have. We regularly hold “carry of the week” or other type challenges in our chatter group which can help you build skill with a carrier. Our chatter group can be found here.